Sena chief targets Hazare, his key team members

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Tuesday said he will not meet social activist Anna Hazare as long as he is surrounded by key aides Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Kiran Bedi.

"Till Kejriwal, Sisodia and Kiran Bedi are part of Team Anna, I cannot think of meeting him (Hazare)," Thackeray told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Last week, Thackeray had refused to meet Hazare, who held discussions with leaders of various political parties to mobilise support for a strong Lokayukta in the state. He has also questioned the relevance of the anti-graft stir launched by Hazare and his team members.

The Sena chief said the media is obsessed with news related to the Gandhian, who today launched a statewide tour on the Lokayukta issue. "Switch on any news channel and you will find them showing news only about Anna Hazare."
"Today journalism is dominated by paid news. There is no maturity left in journalism," he said.

Speaking on the Rajya Sabha nomination to Sachin Tendulkar, he said the post of MP was not befitting the stature of the cricket icon. "I would have liked had he got Bharat Ratna. What is the use in giving him a low-level post."

Blaming the Congress-led Democratic Front Government for the drought-like situation in the state, he alleged that most of the Ministers are busy watching `lavani` (traditional folk dance of Maharashtra). "They take nap in Mantralaya (state secretariat.)"